The Great Book Robbery

57 min. Documentary, 2007-2012

A chronicle of cultural destruction. The story of 70,000 Palestinian books looted by the newly created State of Israel in 1948. The film interweaves various storylines into a dramatically compelling and emotionally unsettling structure. The interviews centre on eyewitness accounts and cultural critiques that place the book theft affair in a larger historical-cultural context; in the process, new light is shed on the Palestinian tragedy of 1948 and its cultural aspect.

The film’s German version is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhUyDKvlg2c